Retelling The Story
by The Legend of Me
Summary: A retelling of what happened in the games.
1. VS Pikachu

Chapter 001: VS Pikachu

I'm sure you've heard about the things that have been going on these past few months. The explosion at Mt. Moon, the closing of the gyms, etc. etc. But I'm sure you haven't heard the true story either. The government had to cover up a lot of things. So I'm going to tell you everything, because I was there. I'm Ishida Satoshi.

A group of students sat in the room, with bored expressions on their faces, when the teacher, Motiyama-sensei, walked in. They couldn't help it, as Math was by far the most boring class. And probably the most difficult too. One kid, wearing a red cap along with the rest of the school uniform, seemed to be the most bored of the bunch.

Ishida Satoshi was the name of the kid with the cap, which covered his messy brown hair, and he wasn't paying the least bit of attention to the teacher or anyone else. He was muttering under his breath, "I wonder what kind of Pokemon I'll get tomorrow. A Male Nidoran, maybe. Although I guess a Poliwag or an Abra wouldn't be too bad."

"Ishida!"

Satoshi's head jerked upwards. "Yes, Motiyama-sensei?"

"Would you mind answering the question I've asked you the past three times?"

Satoshi frowned. "Could you repeat the question sensei?"

The teacher frowned, but before he could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

Satoshi was grateful that he had escaped the teacher's wrath, but that thought soon left his mind as he began to worry about receiving some pathetic Pokemon. His mood didn't improve as he passed some older students, one of whom was bragging about the fact that he was getting a male Nidoran. Satoshi hoped it wasn't the only one around.

He had to grin though, when he saw Izumi with Takeru and Junpei, who were arguing about something. The three were his best friends. Takeru and Junpei always seemed to be arguing about something. This time it was about the Pokemon match that had been seen on TV last night.

"He clearly cheated," Takeru was saying. "He recalled his Pokemon in a 4 vs 4 match and then sent it out into battle again before using the other three again." Takeru pushed his brown hair out of his eyes, and rubbed his large nose. He was sort of the voice of reason in the group, the one who kept the four of them out of trouble.

"They never said it was 4 vs 4! He was a newcomer, and that guy was pretty experienced. They set up a 3 vs 4 in that guys favor. It's like when you give up a piece in chess!" Junpei retorted. His red hair was so short, his green eyes seemed awkwardly low on his head.

Izumi frowned. She was the only girl who hung out with them on a regular basis, because she had a crush on Takeru, though she never mentioned it. "Is that all you can talk about? I mean honestly! When you aren't playing a Pokemon video game, you're watching Pokemon matches on TV. Your parents must pay a fortune on electricity!" She chewed a tress of her golden hair, and her brown eyes had a strange look in them.

Satoshi joined them. "Come on Izumi-san! Give them a break! Pokemon is cool. They've discovered some one hundred and thirty-nine Pokemon here in Kanto alone!"

"That's all well and good, but some of them really freak me out! I mean, whenever I see a Gastly, Haunter or Gengar on TV, I turn it off. They're always in some stupid horror movie. And-" Izumi was cut off when she saw a Pikachu. It immediately came up to her and began nuzzling her happily.

"I didn't know you had a Pokemon for a pet, Izumi-san," Takeru muttered.

Izumi shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's useful. It scares all the mice out of the house. My mother is a little disapproving right now, but when she got sick a couple days ago, Pikachu comforted her. I think Mother will warm up to it in a couple of days."

"You don't even know it's gender?" Junpei shouted!

"Get over it. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly Impressed it. Unlike trainers, who can communicate with their Pokemon almost telepathically, I have to use verbal commands. I might Impress it in a couple of months though. My birthday is exactly 60 days away. If I do become a trainer, it will be so much fun. I doubt I'll be a trainer though. Father wants me to run the store, as he doesn't 'have a son to carry it on.' It's a little sad."

Takeru shook his head. "I'm a month younger than you. It's so unfair, I won't be a trainer until you, if you are going to be one."

Junpei groaned. "In case you've forgotten Takeru-kun, I'm staying the year. It's the smartest thing to do. Classes are really useful. You should take them.

'And what about you, Satoshi-kun. You staying the year?"

"No way, I'm leaving the first chance I get. Pallet Town is so boring. I have never seen anything exciting here. Entering the police force is like being unemployed with full pay, because there aren't even robbers here. And-"

Satoshi didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. After he'd mentioned 'robbers' the Pikachu got an agitated look on its face, and now had shocked Satoshi, and, because of its proximity to the girl, Izumi as well. Luckily, it wasn't very strong, but it did do some damage.

"You little-" shouted Satoshi. Again, he didn't finish, as the Pikachu darted off. "After it!" he yelled.

The four children dashed after the little mouse Pokemon as quickly as they could. The fact was, it was a lot faster than they were. It almost got away when it turned a corner. Junpei was soon ahead of them, dashing straight towards the Pokemon.

The Pikachu didn't stand a chance. Junpei scooped it up quickly, and quickly tied a leash around it, ignoring the occasional jolts he received from the Pokemon.

When he was finished, he sat down happily. "Wow," he said. "It's almost enough to make me want to go on my Pokemon journey now."

"Well, Junpei-kun, why did you stay?" asked Izumi

Junpei shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I kind of liked the idea of the four of us setting out together. After all, I guess I never really got used to the idea of me setting off on the adventure alone. I always thought we'd go together, battling gym leaders, roughing it, you know, all the stuff that trainers do."

Izumi shook her head. "Sorry Junpei-kun." She sighed, "If I become a trainer, I'd go solo, researching Pokemon and all that. Going with the only strengths I have in school, science."

Takeru offered a suggestion. "You should talk to the guy who lives here in town, that famous researcher... um... what's his name?"

"It's Ookido Hakase," Izumi answered. "I'm not hanging out with the grandfather of Ookido whats-his-face."

"Shigeru? That's Shigeru's grandfather?" Junpei said. "You're kidding!"

"I'm not. I hope that one of the other Hakases shows up. Then I'll get a great job for a trainer. I mean, how many people do you know that actually get to work with the distinguished researchers of Pokemon?"

"And we're the ones obsessed with Pokemon?" Satoshi muttered. He said a hasty good bye, and began heading up north.

He came to the outskirts of town, and wandered on. After going a little ways, he found himself at his favorite spot on the route. A small lake was there, and the occasional Pokemon could be seen, getting a quick drink before dashing back into the wilderness.

He sat down and pulled his fishing rod out from the base of his favorite tree. He cast his rod out without bait, as he wasn't interested in getting another stupid Magikarp from the lake. He wouldn't be able to catch one anyway. He didn't have any Pokeballs.

He was suddenly aware of a long-haired girl sitting next to him. "Hello," she said.

Satoshi turned to look at her. "I've seen you before, I think. Are you a Trainer?"

"Not yet. But I will be one in two days. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. Just know this, you'll need another Pokemon. I'll see you tomorrow, same time, right here. Be ready." She suddenly smiled. "I hope you get a Pokemon on your birthday tomorrow."

She got up, and started running off. Satoshi shouted, "How do you know so much about me?"

She turned around and shouted back. "I'm one of Izumi's friends!"

The girl turned around, ran off, and didn't look back. Her brown hair waved behind her. 


	2. VS Pidgey

Chapter 002: VS Pidgey

Satoshi groaned when he got up the next day. That girl by the lake had given him a lot to think about. Her identity was one thing to ponder. Just about all other the kids went to the same school, because Pallet Town was so small. He couldn't remember ever seeing her, and he didn't remember Izumi mentioning her.

He remembered that she had said tomorrow was the day she would become a trainer, and he thought she had implied he would become one tomorrow as well. He didn't know anyone who gave out Pokemon except Ookido Hakase. Did that mean that Shigeru would become a trainer too?

He didn't know Shigeru too well, except for the fact that he was a little snobbish. Satoshi was in class 4-A, and Shigeru was in 5-A. They didn't run into each other at all except during lunch. And even then they ignored each other.

Satoshi got up and went through the usual morning activities. Get dressed, brush teeth, try not to murder the first life form that made a noise, go to school, etc. He didn't do much at all during school, his mind set on what was about to happen. He still couldn't believe he would finally be a trainer. His mother would give him his first Pokemon, and then he'd go to off to Ookido Hakase's lab (if that was were he would get his first Pokemon) the next day. It would be perfect.

When the Saturday lessons were over at noon, he dashed home, ignoring his friend's efforts to get his attention. He arrived, where his mother was waiting. She had a slightly nervous look on her face, but Satoshi thought she might be worried about the Pokemon she'd gotten him.

"Happy birthday!" she said.

"Thanks, Mom." Satoshi saw a few presents in the corner. He wished he could just ask if he could open them now, but even though it was his birthday, he wanted to be polite.

His mom smiled, she must have read his thoughts. "You can open them now."

In the few minutes, Satoshi had opened every last one of the gifts. There weren't that many, they didn't have a lot of money around his birthday for presents. He didn't mind all that much, he always got great gifts. He'd gotten a new video game, a small bar of chocolate, and some clothing. No Pokemon. Satoshi frowned, even as he tried to keep a happy expression on his face as he turned around. His Mom still looked worried, but this time he realized she was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Listen Satoshi," she said, kneeling down beside him. "The prices on Pokemon are getting really expensive. I couldn't afford one this year. But the storekeeper told me that in a few months, prices would go down, and I've put some money aside for getting a gift for Christmas. You can wait a few months, can't you? Besides, none of your friends are leaving this year..."

Satoshi nodded sadly. He smiled, and looked at the clock. Two and a half hours until that girl was going to be at the lake. He decided that he'd go straight after lunch. That would at least get him more time. More time to catch a stupid Pokemon so he could go to Ookido Hakase's lab tomorrow. Maybe the girl would help him too. He didn't even know her name.

He ate lunch, and found himself detouring to play his video game. Before he knew it, he was going to be late. So much for getting a Pokemon. He dashed out of the house and ran to the lake. Should he just get a stupid Magikarp? That would at least bag him a Pokemon, and there were plenty of those in the lake.

But maybe the girl and Shigeru might laugh, and maybe that wasn't a good enough Pokemon to use for a trainer. What if Ookido Hakase didn't give him a Pokemon? What if he was stuck here in Pallet Town for another year? And what would happen if Izumi and Takeru and Junpei all left without him? They'd have such a good time.

He realized that he was at the lake, and the girl hadn't quite arrived yet. He pulled his fishing rod back out of his hiding place and started fishing. Just like last time, the girl seemed to just pop out of nowhere, one minute she wasn't there, the next she was. She gave him a kind smile and pushed her brown hair out of her eyes.

"I see you didn't get a Pokemon," she said.

Satoshi nodded. "I was hoping for one on my birthday."

"I know. I got a Pokemon a long time ago. My grandmother's a little... senile. She got me a Clefairy when what I really wanted was a Pidgey. I'm not into the cute Pokemon division. I'm not a silly little ten year-old who still thinks that pink is the only color that anyone should use. But still, they're tough. I've taught it how to sing other Pokemon to sleep. It's the best possible move, if you ask me. After that, she just uses a basic move.

'I haven't told you my name, Satoshi-kun, have I? I'm Sakura. The rest of my name... it doesn't really matter. But, I've a little bit of good news." She paused, and sighed. "Ookido Hakase is having difficulty with his shipment. He doesn't seem to have had much luck getting a Bulbasaur from... I'm afraid I don't know his name. He's another researcher with Pokemon. He lives... I think somewhere north of Cerulean City.

'And if you don't have a Pokemon, it means that we'll just have to catch one today. Or tomorrow. You don't have any plans tomorrow, do you?"

Satoshi shook his head. "Nothing, as far as I'm aware. I've got another..." he looked at his watch. "Hour and forty-five minutes."

Sakura smiled. "Let's get started!" She stood up and held up two Pokeballs. "One of these," she pressed a button on one Pokeball. The image of a Clefairy appeared above it. "holds my Clefairy. The other will hold your Pokemon." She put in his hands. "You'll have to catch it though. Non-trainers can have a maximum of one Pokemon, so if I try to catch it, it will automatically fail, and I could be fined... I don't know, more than I can afford. It might be more than my parents can afford."

Satoshi was a little surprised, holding a Pokeball for the first time. He just stood there, holding the ball in his hands. "Now what?"

Sakura giggled. "Now, Satoshi-kun, now we find a Pokemon."

Satoshi got up and the two of them began wandering around the area. There didn't seem to be too many Pokemon out today. Sakura said that it probably had something to do with the weather, and that it might change soon.

"Pidgeys can detect shifts in the weather somewhat, and if there aren't many Pidgey around, the Rattatas get ready for the shift in the weather too. But that's okay. If we're lucky, we'll find some eggs. Those are really the best, because-"

"Sakura, I know," Satoshi said. "That guy who is always on TV, the Breeder, he claims that he's never had a Pokemon that hasn't hatched from an egg. He claims that's why his Pokemon are so powerful."

Sakura laughed. "Shame he's eighty-something. You have to be a kid to participate in the major league around here. We kids are the best when it comes to actually using Pokemon. I think there are maybe two adults here in Kanto that have a chance of having the rules amended to let them into the league."

Satoshi was about to reply, when he heard a strange rustling in the bushes. Sakura heard it too, and the two of them dashed towards the bushes, only to find an ordinary bird. Sakura sighed. "Satoshi," she said. "We'll be better off hunting tomorrow, I think. Maybe if we're lucky the weather will have changed, and we'll be able to catch a Pokemon."

Satoshi frowned, but he agreed, and the two said their goodbyes.

The next day, Satoshi quickly ate his breakfast and dashed outside. His mother shouted something at him, but he didn't pay attention. He wanted that Pokemon! It had rained overnight, which Satoshi was grateful for, because there should be dozens of Pokemon about. But he didn't want some stupid Pokemon which was weaker than it had been when it had hatched. He was interested in one that came straight out of the egg.

There weren't many nests around. Unfortunately, most of them were guarded by dozens of Pokemon. The rest were guarded as well, but with less Pokemon. Satoshi wouldn't be able to resist the pecks of every Pidgey in the area, or the bites of every Rattata. So he looked very carefully, inspecting areas that were hidden in shadow from one perspective or another.

Sakura, still running sleep out of her eyes, showed up in a few minutes. Satoshi and Sakura looked throughout the entire area, but they couldn't find a single unguarded egg patch.

"Why are we looking for an unguarded nest?" Sakura asked. "I could throw a rock at the least guarded nest, distract the birds, and you could run in and pick up any egg you wanted."

Satoshi agreed. It was the best idea they could think of. Sakura grabbed the biggest rock she could find. Satoshi, ready to run, went to the other side of the nest. They were ready for just about anything.

Sakura threw the rock as hard as she could, and it hit the smallest Pidgey guarding the nest, knocking it out. All the other Pidgeys turned their attentions to poor Sakura, who was now looking terrified. Most of the birds lifted into the air, and flew right at her. Sakura screamed, and dashed away as quickly as she could. But there were still half a dozen Pidgeys at the nest, and Satoshi couldn't figure out how to get rid of them.

He didn't need to. Another rock flew in from an area Satoshi couldn't see from his position, and the other Pidgeys flew in its direction. Satoshi ran forward, and nabbed the largest egg he could see. He ran away, straight home.

He had what he needed. He'd thank Sakura tomorrow. All he wanted to do was get away from an potential Pokemon that might inflict its wrath on him.

Sakura, meanwhile, was not having a good time. The Pidgeys were all flying straight at her, pecking at her, clawing at her, there was very little they didn't do.

She jumped behind a log and crouched down. The Pidgeys flew right by her, but they wouldn't be fooled for long. She stood up, turned around, and jumped over the log. She broke into a dead run. The Pidgeys had turned around by now, and she knew she'd have to get home as quickly as she could.

A Pidgey had caught up with her, and had begun pecking at her. Sakura reached for a stick, and hit the Pidgey with it. It squawked in outrage, but flew away. The other Pidgeys were closing fast. Sakura could have sworn she had heard laughter. She swung around. There was a group of kids laughing their heads off. Not even helping her!

And one of them was Shigeru. 


	3. VS Spearow

Chapter 003: VS Spearow

The next day was one of Satoshi's worst. Naturally, it was a Monday. Sakura had been waiting outside of Satoshi's house, slightly bruised and battered. She gave him an angry look. "Thanks for the help with the Pidgeys yesterday," she said dryly.

"Look, I'm sorry about that, but, why come here? Aren't we going to Ookido Hakase's lab today?"

"That's why I'm here, Satoshi. He didn't get a Bulbasaur, he received a Bulbasaur egg that won't hatch until tomorrow afternoon. So it looks like we've got two more days of school to suffer through," she suddenly noticed that his backpack seemed a little stretched, looking about to burst. "You're bringing your egg to school?" she demanded. "Why?"

"I talked to a trainer who was passing by yesterday evening. He said that it was going to hatch sometime today, and I don't want to miss that."

"Satoshi, get the egg out of your backpack. If you crush it in there, it's not the same thing as hatching."

Satoshi gave her a scowl. "Come on," he said. "We might as well get going, or we'll be late."

School was even worse than usual, and Satoshi wondered what could possibly be worse than what he was going through. The Lit and Math teachers were rather unhappy that he'd brought a Pokemon egg to school. Some of the students seemed upset too, including, for a reason Satoshi couldn't possibly understand, Takeru, the only one of his friends in this class.

At lunch, he found out. He was the first one of his group to arrive. Sitting down, he put the egg on a cushion he'd brought with him. Then he took out his lunch. Instantly seven other kids crammed at the table, asking if they could see his Pokemon egg, if it was going to hatch soon, if they could touch it, what kind it was, and many other questions. Satoshi wasn't happy. Sakura, sitting down beside him, began answering questions. Whenever someone reached out to touch the slightly quivering egg, she would slap his hand away, saying, "It's Satoshi's egg, not yours."

Satoshi saw Izumi approach, she, like Sakura had that morning, was looking at him angrily. "Thanks for letting us know that you weren't interested in coming to the movies, Satoshi," she said spitefully. "Since their policy is 'No refunds,' it's nice to know that you were willing to prevent us from spending money on your ticket."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "What movies?"

"Didn't your mother tell you?" Izumi asked. "She said did, and she thought that it was weird that you wouldn't-" She saw the egg for the first time. "Oh, I see you're busy. I take it that Sakura's completely beat up because of the Pokemon you had to go past to get that egg?"

Satoshi tried to protest that his mother hadn't mentioned the movies, that he'd been gone all day on the path to Viridian City. Izumi cut him off. "She told you while you were leaving. At least, that's what she said."

A vague memory of his mother shouting something at him entered his mind, but he hadn't listened. "Listen, Izumi, I'm-"

Izumi cut him off. "I take it you'd rather hang out with her, a girl you couldn't have known for much more than three days, instead of your best friends. Enjoy your Pokemon," she said coldly. "Because, it seems that our birthday present to you isn't necessary." She just turned around and walked away, angrily ignoring Satoshi's sputtering protests.

Cold realization hit Satoshi as Izumi sat down beside Junpei and Takeru a few tables away. Junpei was happily playing with the Izumi's Pikachu!

His egg was now rocking violently, and Sakura sighed. "I think she's just a little angry that you don't really need the present she was going to give you. She'll cool off in a few hours, and it'll all be normal tomorrow. One last summer day with your friends."

Sakura's words were soothing, and even the egg seemed to have been calmed by her words. Then, so suddenly Satoshi was sure he must have blinked and missed something, a small baby Pidgey was sitting in the middle of a piece of eggshell, calling desperately for food. Satoshi was ready, and he handed the bird some berries.

The baby Pidgey actually expanded with every mouthful. Satoshi was soon holding a happy, full Pidgey, asleep in the crook of his arm. Reaching awkwardly, Satoshi took the Pokeball two days ago out of his backpack. As he held the half-crimson sphere above the Pidgeys head and pressed a small button on one part of it, the sphere opened up, and the Pidgey disappeared into it.

The crowd of kids dispersed a little, the questions persisted. "Is this your first Pokemon?" "Are you an official trainer?" "Are you going to leave on an attempt to get into the League?" "Are you gonna try to be a gym leader?" The questions rolled off of both him and Sakura. Their quiet indifference sent most of the kids away, except for one.

One Ookido Shigeru, to be precise. "So, you've got a Pidgey, huh?" he said. "I've got a Spearow." He drew out a Pokeball of his own and lightly tossed it out onto the table. The Spearow gave a caw of delight, and looked around for a Pokemon to fight. The table was once again buzzing with attention, questions being asked of Shigeru. He grinned and answered every last one of them, attempting to make Satoshi look like an idiot.

Sakura muttered something under her breath. For a moment or two, Satoshi thought he heard singing, but not from Sakura. It ceased just as suddenly as it had come. The Spearow passed out on the table.

"Pathetic!" taunted one kid. "It just fell asleep for no reason."

"I can see it now," sneered another. "You'll be fighting the last gym leader, and all of a sudden, your Pokemon will just pass out, in front of everyone in the gym. You'll be a laughing stock!"

Laughter spread around the room. Shigeru scowled at his Pokemon, and held out his Pokeball, which emitted a red beam of light which surrounded the Spearow. With his Pokemon in its Pokeball, he left the room, muttering under his breath.

Sakura held up her Pokeball, and the same red light appeared, flashing under the table. She grinned at him. "He forgot that I have a Pokemon too."

"How did your Pokemon do that?"

"Don't you remember?" she asked. "I told you, it can sing other Pokemon to sleep. Not humans though. You might have noticed it, but everyone else was paying to much attention to Shigeru to hear it. So, the Spearow fell asleep, and no one is the wiser."

The rest of the day went without incident, and Satoshi forgot that his friends had been angry with him. He went home, found everything he'd want for his trip, and slept happily for the first time in a few days.

However, Sakura's prediction about Izumi's mood had been wrong. Incredibly wrong. When Satoshi got to lunch on his last day of school, Shigeru was sitting at his regular spot, talking to Izumi and Junpei. Takeru was absent. Junpei was hanging out with Pikachu, and was constantly talking to it happily. Satoshi approached them to chat, but Shigeru pointed at him, at Izumi and Junpei gave him such angry stares that Satoshi found Sakura and her gang and sat with them instead.

One girl was looking at Shigeru angrily. "He's the worst kid in this school. He's such a brat. He's trying to ruin your friendship with them, but you'll both be gone tomorrow, and when you get back, the anger will be gone."

Sakura nodded. "He'd seen us on Saturday, so he took your friends to the same place on Sunday. I think he threw that other rock, maybe he was even trying to hit you. It's okay though, Izumi is the only other person with a Pokemon in town, and she's too young to be a trainer. When you get back from your travels, you can be friends again. I mean, you'll have gotten all the badges by then. They'll probably even help you with the league."

For the rest of the day, Satoshi focused on that one image in his head. Of Izumi, Junpei, and Takeru cheering him on in the League. A trainer could give out four tickets. He'd give them to his three friends and his mother.

When he set off for Ookido Hakase's lab, Sakura accompanied him, although she had to stop off at home to get her Clefairy to show Ookido Hakase. Pidgey was safely in her Pokeball, Clefairy in his. Satoshi was sure it was a girl. They'd trained after school yesterday, and she'd shown more capability in defending than damaging. The two friends went happily to the Lab.

Their bubbles were burst. Junpei was standing there, holding a Pokeball that had an image of a Pikachu floating over it, and Shigeru was also present, Spearow on his shoulder. Sakura stopped. "Ookido Hakase," she said. "Didn't you say that I could pick the third trainer?"

The man who was standing there looked from Sakura to Satoshi and frowned. "Unfortunately for your friend here," he said. "The fact is, Junpei here is a year older than minimum age. Unless... how old is your friend?"

Sakura put her hand to her mouth. "His tenth birthday was just... just Saturday." She gave Satoshi an embarrassed look. "Oh, Satoshi," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." She took a step forward. "Ookido Hakase," she said. "What if I forfeited-"

"I'm afraid that that is impossible. Your trainer card is already filled out, and everything from name to gender would have to be changed."

Sakura looked to Satoshi with a pained expression on her face. "I'm really sorry. I've already been waiting a year."

Ookido Hakase turned to Satoshi. "Listen," he said, "Tell you what, I'll order the starter Pokemon of your choice, express delivery and you can set off tomorrow morning. Which one do you want?" He turned to the others without waiting for an answer. "First you choose Sakura, then Shigeru, then Junpei."

Ookido Hakase sat down at his computer, but Satoshi wasn't paying attention to him. He only had eyes for the three Pokemon. He was watching Sakura, who finally settled on Bulbasaur. Shigeru then chose a Squirtle. He turned to Sakura. "So, want to battle?" 


End file.
